Mei-Ling Ho-Shing, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student, summarized the motivation behind the town hall meetings at an event held in Parkland, Florida. “I’m here today because I need your help,” she said, according to NBC News. “We need everyone who wants safer schools to get involved and stay involved.”

Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz (D) applauded the youth-led activism of the movement at that same Parkland town hall, saying, “If you doubted whether the next generation is going to be ready...to step up and lead the way as the generations before them get a little tired — boy, did any of that doubt fade.” Parkland survivor Ryan Deitsch proved his commitment by attending a town hall in Staten Island, New York, as PIX 11 reported.

Candidates for key seats in the 2018 midterm elections attended town halls in their areas. Paul Ryan challenger and Democrat Randy Bryce attended a meeting in Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. NBC News reported that Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) attended a town hall in Massachusetts, and state and federal representatives were a fixture at many of the events.

But during some of these town halls, several important seats were noticeably empty. Some representatives did not seize the opportunity to attend and speak face-to-face with their constituents. Student organizers took to Twitter to share their disappointment. In Utah, a user shared an image of the cardboard cut-outs being used as stand-ins for the absent politicians. One user from the Jacksonville, Florida, area shared a video of an empty suit in a chair reserved for the local house representative.

The attendance of candidates and elected officials at public forums isn’t necessarily a recipe for gun safety as another meeting on April 6 demonstrated. In an unaffiliated “coffee with constituents” event in South Carolina, Republican Representative Ralph Norman pulled out a loaded .38 caliber handgun, according to The Post and Courier. Norman told the publication that he plans to display his firearm at future constituent meetings as well.